


A Million Different Ways

by unfortunate17



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, Zayn and Liam are basically made for eachother, they're not dead don't worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-04
Updated: 2014-03-04
Packaged: 2018-01-14 12:22:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1266403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unfortunate17/pseuds/unfortunate17
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They work for the Soul Agency and Zayn’s soul always meets Liam’s soul.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Million Different Ways

"Smith, Jaden."

The line is moving quickly and the minimalistic decor is frustratingly white. Zayn’s pretty sure the Soul Agency needed a paint job a couple hundred years ago and he’s offered multiple times only to be told by a brash, skinny Irish lad that he doesn’t need half naked men on the walls.

Not that Zayn would actually draw anything like that.

But he would.

He sighs, floating up to relieve the tension in his shoulder while he waits for another assignment. Another life. Another love. Another beginning. It’s all very optimistic and wish-washy, romantically idealistic.

That’s just the tired, irritated part of his brain talking though. Zayn loves his assignments, not that he would admit it to anyone other than Liam. 

He also thinks he deserves a millennium of sleep for the shit this fucking agency puts him through. Except, he can’t really blame them because he’s the one that chose to be a Field Soul, continuously leaving the peace of his dimension to be born as yet another one of the seven billion people on Mother Earth.

"Malik, Zayn."

He briefly wonders in what order these names are called before he’s floats to the counter. It’s bad manners, he knows, but his feet hurt - he’s been in line for nearly two hours and it’s just started to move faster than one person every fifteen minutes. 

"Hello," he smiles at the lady soul behind the counter. She’s probably in HR - judging from her less and welcoming look, "Here for another assignment."

The lady’s eyes scan the file of cards in front of her for a brief minute before they flicker back up, “You’ve done 758 lives - more than enough to retire for good. Sure you wanna live another entire one - go through all that again?”

Zayn shrugs and he turn around to look at the crowded line behind him, but Liam’s not there yet. Zayn left him behind last time and he never wants to do that again - never wants to see that expression on Liam’s face. 

When he turns back, the woman’s staring at him knowingly, “This soul must mean a lot to you, then.”

"Liam," Zayn smiles at the name and god he’s a sap, "His name’s Liam Payne. He’s always the one I’m with every time I go down there." His heart sort of hurts and he wants to gather Liam in his arms, press his face into the soft tufts of hair, but Liam’s not due back on Earth with him for another year. Zayn’s going to be older than him this time around - and - he notices peeking at the card in the woman’s hand  - they’re going to be  _famous._

The woman hums and smiles, “Me and my husband - we gave up what you two are doing a while ago. Getting tired of going down to Earth with wiped memories, falling in and out of love with each other, and - you know the drill. Thought it’d be better if we settled down, got a desk job.”

Zayn twists his hands, picking up on the fact that the person behind him is huffing irritatingly at Zayn spending so much time at the counter, “I wouldn’t - wouldn’t mind not leaving. But Liam likes it, says it’s like  _true love_  or something. ‘sides, Earth’s nicer in some ways, isn’t it?”

The woman hands over the card when the buzzer rings telling her that Zayn’s spent his maximum fifteen minutes and that he needs to move on. She wishes him luck with a smile and Zayn reads the index card as he floats away. 

_One Direction_

He scoffs, shaking his head at the idiotic cleverness of the name. A boy-band. He’s not sure how he feels about that.

Sometimes he wishes for happy lives and sometimes he doesn’t mind if it leaves behind the sweet taste of melancholy when the Earth memories slam into him as he gets back to the Soul Agency after a competed assignment.

“ _Zayn_.”

There’s a smack on his back, followed by a tight hug, and Zayn loses his float, dropping down on his aching legs. 

"Liam," he mumbles back, turning around to watch as Liam straightened himself out, grinning. Souls always look gray and washed out - seeing Liam in color on Earth is one of Zayn’s favorite things about being a Field Soul.

Liam steps forward to give him a warm kiss, cupping the back of his neck. “Hi!” His eyes squint into half-moons and Zayn loves him loveshimloveshimloveshim.

Zayn holds out his card, “We’re gonna be in a boy band.”

Liam’s eyebrows furrow and he steps back, hand still latched onto Zayn’s, “That can’t be good.”

"What does it matter?" Zayn knocks his shoulder into him and Liam stumbles - or at least he pretends to, "We know how it’ll end."

Liam’s hands come up to grip the small of his back, ghostly and wispy. Zayn can’t wait for the firm grip that’ll come once he’s human again. “That we do. But I’d prefer it to be good you know. Though I do like it when you’re an asshole and I _change_ you.”

Zayn snorts, nudging his nose into Liam’s cheek as Liam grins like an idiot, “Those make me feel awful.”

Liam hugs him and Zayn can almost feel the warmth, like a barely held memory, “What do you like then?”

"When I’m with you," Zayn confesses honestly and his face flames when Liam laughs loudly. 

"That can be arranged."

"Did like being a mermaid though," Zayn smiles at the memory, "Or the thing you liked to call an Angel - you know, the wings and stuff. That was cool."

"It was nice," Liam agrees, "Though I liked having a wand."

Zayn frowns, “I punched you in the face. Didn’t like the lives where I treated you like crap.”

"You didn’t know," Liam insists in return, grinning widely, "You didn’t know that you were my soul mate - literally. You never know and the best part is figuring out each and every time."

"You just like the sex that comes with it," Zayn murmurs, running a thumb over Liam’s full bottom lip and Liam’s cheeks push up under the ministrations, "Let’s go down then, yeah. It’s time." 

"I have a good feeling about this life," Liam whispers back, secret just for their ears and something warm blooms in Zayn’s chest.

"Our best adventure yet?"

"Course," Liam presses a kiss to his jaw, "Now, c’mon, let’s go be popstars."

 

**Author's Note:**

> if you made it here - congrats. and no, i don't know what that just was.


End file.
